Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0014070 (encephalomyelitis)
13,017 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE) is a CD4+ T cell-mediated demyelinating disease model for multiple sclerosis. Myelin destruction during the initial relapsing phase of R-EAE in SJL mice initiated by immunization with the proteolipid protein (PLP) epitope PLP139-151 is associated with activation of T cells specific for the endogenous, non-cross-reactive PLP178-191 epitope (intramolecular epitope spreading), while relapses in R-EAE induced with the myelin basic protein (MBP) epitope MBP84-104 are associated with PLP139-151-specific responses (intermolecular epitope spreading). Here, we demonstrate that T cells specific for endogenous myelin epitopes play the major pathologic role in mediating clinical relapses. T cells specific for relapse-associated epitopes can serially transfer disease to naive recipients and are demonstrable in the CNS of mice with chronic R-EAE. More importantly, induction of myelin-specific tolerance to relapse-associated epitopes, by i.v. injection of ethylene carbodiimide-fixed peptide-pulsed APCs, either before disease initiation or during remission from acute disease effectively blocks the expression of the initial disease relapse. Further, blockade of B7-1-mediated costimulation with anti-B7-1 F(ab) during disease remission from acute PLP139-151-induced disease prevents clinical relapses by inhibiting activation of PLP178-191-specific T cells. The protective effects of anti-B7-1 F(ab) treatment are long-lasting and highly effective even when administered following the initial relapsing episode wherein spreading to a MBP epitope (MBP84-104) is inhibited. Collectively, these data indicate that epitope spreading is B7-1 dependent, plays a major pathologic role in disease progression, and follows a hierarchical order associated with the relative encephalitogenic dominance of the myelin epitopes (PLP139-151 > PLP178-191 > MBP84-104).
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PMID:Pathologic role and temporal appearance of newly emerging autoepitopes in relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 1062 9

PLP139-51-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE) displays a relapsing-remitting paralytic course in female SJL mice. We investigated the role of apoptosis/activation-induced cell death (AICD) in the spontaneous recovery from acute disease. Clinical EAE was significantly enhanced in Fas (CD95/APO-1)-deficient SJL lpr/lpr mice, which displayed significantly increased mean peak clinical scores, reduced remission rates, and increased mortality when compared with their SJL +/lpr littermates. PLP139-151-specific proliferative responses were fairly equivalent in the 2 groups, but draining lymph node T cells from SJL lpr/lpr mice produced dramatically increased levels of IFN-gamma. Central nervous system (CNS) Fas and FasL mRNA levels in wild-type SJL (H-2(s)) mice peaked just before spontaneous disease remission and gradually declined as disease remitted. We applied the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay to detect apoptosis in situ in spinal cords of mice at various clinical stages of EAE. Most TUNEL(+) cells were found during active periods of inflammation: the acute, peak, and relapse time points. Significantly fewer apoptotic cells were observed at preclinical and remission time points. Collectively, these findings indicate that Fas-mediated apoptosis/AICD plays a major role in the spontaneous remission after the initial acute inflammatory episode and represents an important intrinsic mechanism in regulation of autoimmune responses.
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PMID:Fas-mediated apoptosis in clinical remissions of relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 1064 1

Melioidosis was first described in Australia in an outbreak in sheep in 1949 in north Queensland (22 degrees S). Human melioidosis was first described from Townsville (19 degrees S) in 1950. Melioidosis is hyperendemic in the Top End of the Northern Territory (NT) and as in parts of northeastern Thailand it is the commonest cause of fatal community-acquired septicemic pneumonia. In the 9 years since 1989 the prospective NT melioidosis study at Royal Darwin Hospital (12 degrees S) has documented 206 culture confirmed cases of melioidosis, with an average annual incidence of 16.5/100,000. Melioidosis is also seen in the north of Western Australia and north Queensland, including the Torres Strait Islands, but is uncommon in adjacent Papua New Guinea. Serological studies suggest that infection is rare in the Port Moresby region, but there is emerging evidence of melioidosis from Western Province. The NT study has documented inoculating events in 52 (25%) of cases, with an incubation period of 1-21 days (mean 9 days); 84% of cases had acute disease from presumed recent acquisition and 13% had chronic disease (sick, > 2 months). In 4% there was evidence of possible reactivation from a latent focus; 28 of 153 (18%) males had prostatic abscesses. The overall mortality was 21% (43 cases), with a mortality rate in septicemic cases (95) of 39% and in non-septicemic cases (103) of 4%. Pneumonia was the commonest presentation in both groups and, in addition, eight patients (two deaths) presented with melioidosis encephalomyelitis. Melioidosis clusters in temperate Australia are attributed to animals imported from the north. Molecular typing of Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates from temperate southwest Western Australia showed clonality over 25 years. In this outbreak and in studies from the NT, some soil isolates are molecularly identical to epidemiologically related animal and human isolates. Molecular typing has implicated the water supply in two clonal outbreaks in remote aboriginal communities in northern Australia. Further prospective collaborative studies are required to evaluate whether there are truly regional differences in clinical features of melioidosis and to better understand how B. pseudomallei is acquired from the environment.
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PMID:The epidemiology of melioidosis in Australia and Papua New Guinea. 1067 39

We report two cases and review the literature concerning the importance of early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain as a guide for the early diagnosis and treatment of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM). A nonspecific term, ADEM refers to an acute disease that is postinfectious, parainfectious, postvaccinal, or of an unknown precipitating factor. Often when there is clinical suspicion of ADEM, MRI is not done before significant morbidity and mortality occur, despite the existence of adequate treatments. Primary care physicians should be aware of the importance of early MRI in ADEM.
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PMID:Early diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. 1096 11

During the progression of relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE), in SJL mice, disease relapses are mediated by T cells specific for non-cross-reactive myelin epitopes, a process termed 'epitope spreading'. CTLA-4, a negative regulator of T cell function modulates R-EAE, in that CTLA-4 blockade exacerbates clinical R-EAE. Herein, we show that CTLA-4-mediated signaling negatively regulates the dynamic spread of autoreactive T cell responses during the course of autoimmune disease. Anti-CTLA-4 mAb, administration at various points during the progression of R-EAE exacerbated subsequent clinical disease and enhanced T cell reactivity to both inducing and relapse-associated epitopes. In addition, CTLA-4 blockade during acute disease inhibited clinical remission. Thus, CTLA-4-mediated events are critical for intrinsic regulation of epitope spreading during autoimmune disease.
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PMID:CTLA-4 downregulates epitope spreading and mediates remission in relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 1099 19

We previously reported that acute experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), induced by active immunization of SJL mice, could be converted into chronic relapsing EAE (CR-EAE) by a pretreatment with neuroantigen and killed mycobacteria 2 months earlier. This finding indicates that immune memory, established by the pretreatment, influences the subsequent EAE induction. The present study shows that splenectomy and lymphadenectomy, applied 1 week before the subsequent active immunization of the pretreated mice, efficiently abort the chronic nature of CR-EAE. Furthermore, we have found that adoptive transfer of lymphocytes from the spleen (but not of those from the local draining lymph nodes) of the pretreated mice to naive syngeneic recipients 1 week before the acute EAE-induction immunization results in the development of CR-EAE. On the other hand, the transfer of lymphocytes from the local draining lymph nodes aggravates the acute disease. These data support a critical role for immune memory of the previous suboptimal challenge in the development of chronic relapsing demyelinating disease.
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PMID:Splenectomy and adoptive cell transfer reveal a prominent role for splenic memory lymphocytes in the development of chronic relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 1101 6

Intracranial inoculation of susceptible SJL mice with Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) results in biphasic disease consisting of early acute disease, followed by late chronic demyelinating disease, associated with mononuclear infiltrates and demyelinating lesions. In contrast, resistant C57BL/6 (B6) mice develop only early acute disease. We employed cytokine-specific RT-PCR to determine the expression of cytokine transcripts in the CNS of TMEV-infected SJL and B6 mice. During early acute disease, we have found a strong proinflammatory (Th1) cytokine response in the CNS of both TMEV-infected SJL and B6 mice, demonstrated by the expression of transcripts for IFN-gamma, IL-1, IL-6, IL-12p40, and TNF-alpha. At 8 days postinfection (p.i.), TGF-beta1 and TNF-alpha transcripts were present at significantly higher levels (P < 0.01) in the CNS of SJL susceptible mice in comparison to those found in the CNS of B6 mice. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that TGF-beta protein was expressed in leptomeningeal mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltrates in the brain of SJL mice but not in B6 mice, at 8 days p.i. TGF-beta may be responsible for the failure of SJL mice to develop an effective anti-TMEV CTL response. During late chronic demyelinating disease, high levels of proinflammatory Th1 cytokines were found in the CNS of SJL mice, but not B6 mice. Significantly higher levels (P < 0.01) of anti-inflammatory cytokine transcripts (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10 (Th2 cytokines) and TGF-beta) were found in the spinal cord of TMEV-infected SJL mice with chronic demyelinating disease than in the spinal cord of B6 mice during the same time period (39 or 60 days p.i.). These anti-inflammatory cytokines may contribute to the downregulation of the proinflammatory response in SJL mice. High levels of IL-2 transcripts and protein appeared transiently in the spinal cord of TMEV-infected SJL mice before the onset of demyelinating disease and coincided with an influx of new T cells into the CNS and/or expansion of remaining T cells that have not been eliminated after viral clearance.
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PMID:Differential expression of TGF-beta, IL-2, and other cytokines in the CNS of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-infected susceptible and resistant strains of mice. 1111 58

C57BL/6 (B6) mice with targeted mutations of immune function genes were used to investigate the mechanism of recovery from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). The acute phase of passive EAE in the B6 mouse is normally resolved by partial recovery followed by mild sporadic relapses. B6 TCR beta-chain knockout (KO) recipients of a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein p35-55 encephalitogenic T cell line failed to recover from the acute phase of passive EAE. In comparison with wild-type mice, active disease was more severe in beta(2)-microglobulin KO mice. Reconstitution of TCR beta-chain KO mice with wild-type spleen cells halted progression of disease and favored recovery. Spleen cells from T cell-deficient mice, IL-7R KO mice, or IFN-gamma KO mice were ineffective in this regard. Irradiation or treatment of wild-type spleen cell population with anti-NK1.1 mAb before transfer abrogated the protective effect. Removal of DX5(+) cells from wild-type spleen cells by anti-DX5 Ab-coated magnetic beads before reconstitution abrogated the suppressive properties of the spleen cells. TCR-deficient recipients of the enriched DX5(+) cell population recovered normally from passively induced acute disease. DX5(+) cells were sorted by FACS into DX5(+) alpha beta TCR(+) and DX5(+) alpha beta TCR(-) populations. Only recipients of the former recovered normally from clinical disease. These results indicate that recovery from acute EAE is an active process that requires NK1.1(+), DX5(+) alpha beta(+) TCR spleen cells and IFN-gamma.
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PMID:Regulation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the C57BL/6J mouse by NK1.1+, DX5+, alpha beta+ T cells. 1123 73

Initial migration of encephalitogenic T cells to the central nervous system (CNS) in relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), depends on the interaction of the alpha4 integrin (VLA-4) expressed on activated T cells with VCAM-1 expressed on activated cerebrovascular endothelial cells. Alternate homing mechanisms may be employed by infiltrating inflammatory cells after disease onset. We thus compared the ability of anti-VLA-4 to regulate proteolipid protein (PLP) 139-151-induced R-EAE when administered either before or after disease onset. Preclinical administration of anti-VLA-4 either to naive recipients of primed encephalitogenic T cells or to mice 1 week after peptide priming, i.e., before clinical disease onset, inhibited the onset and severity of clinical disease. In contrast, Ab treatment either at the peak of acute disease or during remission exacerbated disease relapses and increased the accumulation of CD4(+) T cells in the CNS. Most significantly, anti-VLA-4 treatment either before or during ongoing R-EAE enhanced Th1 responses to both the priming peptide and endogenous myelin epitopes released secondary to acute tissue damage. Collectively, these results suggest that treatment with anti-VLA-4 Ab has multiple effects on the immune system and may be problematic in treating established autoimmune diseases such as MS.
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PMID:Discordant effects of anti-VLA-4 treatment before and after onset of relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 1130 3

Relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE) is a Th1-mediated central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disease with pathology similar to that of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Among recent therapeutic approaches to prevent or treat relapsing disease is the strategic blockade of the CD154-CD40 ligand pair interactions. We have previously shown that CD154 blockade at the peak of acute disease can, in the short term, inhibit spontaneous disease relapse and this is at least partly associated with the inhibition of T cell effector function and blockade of inflammatory cell recruitment to and/or retention in the CNS. However, little is understood about the long-term effects of CD154 blockade in the inhibition of immune responses to encephalitogenic antigens. Here we demonstrate that transient anti-CD154 blockade of CD154-CD40 interactions at the peak of acute phase of R-EAE resulted in significant long-term inhibition (by >80%) of clinical relapses and that clinical disease in those mice that did relapse was reduced in duration and severity compared to control antibody-treated mice. Additionally, we show that this strategy permanently inhibits DTH responses of T cells specific for relapse-associated encephalitogenic epitopes. Thus, transient CD154 blockade during ongoing disease has a long-term therapeutic efficacy in preventing disease relapses.
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PMID:Transient anti-CD154-mediated immunotherapy of ongoing relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis induces long-term inhibition of disease relapses. 1216 Oct 21


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